


The Fateful Festival

by BookishFangirl14



Category: RWBY
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Mistral (RWBY), Vytal Festival (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25575121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookishFangirl14/pseuds/BookishFangirl14
Summary: At Beacon Academy, Jaune and Pyrrha met for the first time. . . or did they? Years before, a chance encounter brought fun, new friends, and a life-changing realization.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Pyrrha Nikos
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be really cool if Jaune and Pyrrha met before they arrived at Beacon, but neither of them remembers it. Also, in the show, Pyrrha is always saving Jaune and protecting him, so I kind of wanted to do something opposite here, to kind of prove to Jaune that he can be a hero, although at this point in the show I think he already knows that. This fanfic takes place at a Vytal Festival in Mistral, back when Jaune and Pyrrha were both kids. If you haven't finished the series, don't worry, this story doesn't really spoil anything.
> 
> It was really fun creating Jaune's other sisters. Jaune and Saphron are kind of yellowy-orangey names, so I used that as inspiration.  
> Sienna, 16, most mature  
> Ginger, 14, imagine if Nora was a teenage fangirl  
> Marigold, 12, daredevil, not afraid of anything  
> Saphron, 11, kind, closest with Jaune  
> Jaune, 9  
> Amber, 8, aspiring scientist  
> Clementine and Poppy, twins, 6, very competitive, not good at sharing with each other
> 
> This is my first published fanfic. I would really apreciate feedback, and I hope you enjoy! :)

“Mom, do we  _ have  _ to go?” Nine-year-old Jaune asked his mother as he finished his cereal.

“Of course, honey. It’s the Vytal Festival! Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” She replied.

Jaune sighed and continued to eat his breakfast. The festival  _ wasn’t  _ fun, at least to him, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to have a great time. At all.

“Can you pass the Pumpkin Pete’s?” Saphron, one of Jaune’s older sisters, asked.

“Sure,” Jaune handed her the box of cereal, Saphron having to reach over four other kids to receive it. She smiled in thanks. Jaune smiled back. 

“Okay, kids!” Jaune’s mother exclaimed. “It’s almost time to head to the city, so make sure you have everything you need for the ride there.”

“Can I bring Richard?” Marigold asked, holding up her pet snake while standing on top of the kitchen table. Amber stepped back a few feet, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“No, honey, you’re not bringing the snake.” Was her reply.

“ _ Mom _ , where is my shirt? The yellow one?” Came a voice from upstairs.

“Ginger, sweetie, you need to start keeping track of where you put things. Have you checked the laundry room?” 

“Yep, and it’s not there,” Ginger huffed.

“Hey, that’s  _ my  _ muffin!” Yelled Clementine, glaring at her twin sister. “Mommy, Poppy ate  _ my muffin! _ ” 

Jaune’s mom frowned. “Well, Clemmie, learn to share.”

“But it’s  _ mine _ !!”

“Mother, if we don’t leave in  _ precisely  _ six and a half minutes, we’ll be late for the science display,” Amber informed her.

“Yeah, okay, you’re right honey.  _ Kids! We’re leaving! Now! _ ” 

“ _ Just a minute!”  _ Came another voice from upstairs. Most likely Sienna, the eldest.

His mother sighed. “Fine, the rest of you, in the car.  _ Now _ .” Everyone obeyed, and made their way to the front door, with Sienna following a few minutes later. 

The ride to Mistral was pretty normal; with Jaune squished in between the bickering twins, his mother’s country music blaring loud enough to give him a headache, the half-functioning air conditioning doing nothing to help said headache, and Ginger braiding his hair from the seat behind him when she thought he didn’t notice. (He did). 

By the time they arrived, the Vytal Festival was already in full swing. Vendors were selling treats and items from all of the four kingdoms; traditional Mistralian dancers hopped about the streets, tossing flowers in every direction; a band from Vacuo was playing a lively tune; and screens everywhere were broadcasting the tournament from Amity Arena.

“Alright,” Jaune’s mom started, “Remember to―”

“ _ Always stay with a buddy. _ We know, mom.” The eight kids said in unison.

She smiled. “Okay then, well, have fun. You can use some of your allowance money if you’d like, just nothing too expensive. We’ll meet back here in two hours for lunch.”

Saphron grabbed Jaune’s arm. “C’mon, let’s play some carnival games,” he began to follow her eagerly when a smaller hand latched onto his other arm.

“ _ No, _ Jaune said he’d come with  _ me _ to the science display,” Amber pouted. “Remember?”

“I, uh…” Jaune fumbled, vaguely recalling that conversation with Amber a couple of days ago.

“Come  _ on, _ we’re going to be late,” Amber pressed.

Saphron’s face fell. “But―”

“ _ Jaune _ ―”

“Um,” Jaune paused, thinking. “How about we all go to the science thing, and then we can play some carnival games?”

Both sisters smiled at the suggestion, so the three of them made their way to Haven Academy’s science display. It was a large, blocked-off area of the street, filled with tables and tents offering experiments, lessons, and fun facts.

Amber’s eyes lit up with curiosity behind her glasses. Saphron and Jaune watched her dash off into the stalls, eager to learn as much as she could.

Saphron looked at Jaune. “Do you actually  _ want  _ to do any of these experiments?”

He looked around at kids making calculations to make their paper airplanes fly, measuring the right amounts of vinegar for their volcanoes, and listening to a professor explaining the laws of physics. To him, it just looked like more science homework. “No, not really,” 

She laughed. “Me neither,”

They found a bench to sit on across from the science display and watched their sister as she went from experiment to experiment. Amber was easily the smartest Arc kid; she could be annoying at times with her passion for science, and a bit pushy, but overall, she was kind and fun to play with.

After half an hour or so, the three siblings left the science display and began walking over to the carnival games. They played a few rounds of Asteroid Blast, followed by Boat Dash, Lucky Pick, Fire and Ice, Ring Toss, and Sword Battle. Eventually, Jaune grew tired of the games, so he watched Saphron and Amber battle in Thunder Race as he sipped on his strawberry lemonade.

“Huntsman Training! Do you have what it takes?! Take part in our Junior Huntsman Training!” Yelled a man.

Jaune’s eyes lit up. He followed the voice to a stand labelled  _ Junior Huntsman Training _ . A small, circular stage was set up, with a green jungle painted on half of the floor and a desert painted on the other half, mimicking Amity Arena. Two kids with ridiculous inflatable weapons were battling on the stage. A girl poked at a boy with her blow-up sword, causing him to step off of the stage. “And we have a winner!” The man boomed, handing the girl a paper crown. The boy frowned while the girl smiled triumphantly, as two new kids took their place on the stage.

Jaune ran over immediately. This looked  _ awesome _ ! He waited in line as he watched more of the battles. A kid swung her fake scythe, tripped, and landed flat on her bottom, off of the stage. Another round, a boy dodged the giant hammer being slammed at him and hit his opponent’s backside with his harmless dagger. He lost focus for a second as he laughed at his enraged opponent, who took advantage and managed a final blow with his hammer, making the other boy topple off the stage. Two kids fought hard with their fake swords until one girl hit the other so hard she passed out (The man didn’t declare a winner that round). 

After waiting for what felt like forever, it was finally Jaune’s turn. He was being paired with a green-eyed girl. She looked around his age, with short, wavy red hair and a teasing smile. When asked to choose their weapons, Jaune selected a giant scythe while the girl chose a staff and a shield.

“Alright, kids. Three, two, one,  _ fight _ !” The man said.

The girl didn’t hesitate. She jabbed at him with her blow-up staff, vertically, then horizontally, again and again. Jaune tried his hardest to dodge the swings, but he kept on getting hit. As he felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge of the stage, he began an offensive strategy, hitting the girl with his giant, harmless weapon. She blocked every blow with her shield.

The fight went on for a bit longer, ending with Jaune falling off the stage and the girl winning. The man announced the winner, and the crowd of kids cheered. The girl smiled as they shook hands, the golden paper crown resting on top of her flaming locks. “Good game,” she said. “Good game,” he said back.

The girl walked off, probably to try another game, but Jaune stayed at the Huntsman one. He played again, this time with a boy a few years older than him, and, not surprisingly, lost. The round after that he traded his scythe for an inflatable sword and a shield, remembering the red-haired girl’s strategy. Jaune managed to block a few hits with his new shield, but his opponent still won.

The small crowd cheered once more as another winner received their paper crown. Jaune sighed, but, he got back up and walked towards the end of the line, determined to try again. 

Ever since he was very little, he had known he wanted to be a Huntsman. Just like his father, and his grandfather, and his great-grandmother. And in order to do that, he needed to get better. Stronger. 

He needed to win.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Saphron's perspective, and it's much shorter than the last one. Hope you're enjoying the story, and again, I would love your feedback!

Half an hour later, Saphron and Amber walked over to the Huntsman game, wanting to give it a try. They were surprised to find their brother there, fighting another kid on the stage. Jaune swung his fake sword and dodged his opponent’s hits when he could. He was still losing, but Saphron could see how hard he was trying. 

She smiled proudly. “That’s my brother!” 

The two girls pushed their way through the crowd of kids, craning their necks for a better view of the fight. Saffron felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned to see a red-haired girl with a paper crown. 

“Which one is he?” The girl asked.

Saphron pointed to the blond boy on stage. “That one’s my brother, Jaune.”

The girl smiled. “He’s very good,”

Saphron laughed, knowing that the comment was just the girl trying to be polite. “He’s alright,”

“No, really!” The girl insisted. “I fought him earlier. I think he has the potential of becoming a real Huntsman.”

Saphron blinked, surprised. No one had ever said anything like that about her brother. He wasn’t the most athletic kid, and he got teased about it a lot.

She turned her attention back to the stage. Jaune was actually doing quite well; his opponent getting closer to the edge as he jabbed at her with his blow-up weapon. As she tried dodging a blow, she tripped and fell, making Jaune win the match. 

Saphron’s jaw dropped. He  _ won _ . She could hear Amber and the red-haired girl cheering beside her as the man crowned him the winner. Jaune was grinning as he returned his weapons and walked off the stage. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all fluff, just four kids having a good time at the Vytal Festival. Enjoy!

As soon as he stepped off the stage, Jaune was engulfed in a big hug. Jaune gasped, surprised, until he heard the familiar squeals and giggles of his sisters. 

“You did it!” Amber said. “You won!”

“Congrats!” Saphron added.

Jaune smiled. He didn’t even know that Saphron and Amber had been watching. “Thanks,”

The two girls finally released him, and when they stepped out the way, Jaune could see someone waiting behind them.

“You were really good out there,” The red-haired girl, from one of his previous matches, said.

Jaune felt his cheeks growing warm. “Thank you. You were, too. From, from before, I mean.”

The girl laughed.

“We were thinking of playing some more carnival games,” Saphron said. “Would you like to join us?”

“Sure!” The girl responded with a smile. “I’m Pyrrha, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Saphron, and this is Amber, and― well, you’ve already met Jaune.” She said with a giggle.

The foursome left the Junior Huntsman stage and went to play some other games.

“Oh!” Pyrrha exclaimed as they passed one of the stalls. “Ring Toss! I love this game!”

“Okay, let’s play,” said Amber, eyeing the prizes that lined the top of the stand.

Jaune followed her gaze. There were stuffed animals, candy, and small toys. He even saw goldfish, swimming in plastic bags. 

A woman running the game spotted the children. “Are you four looking to play?” She asked.

They nodded. “Well, step right up! Let's see if any of you can win the giant bunny, it’s our biggest prize.” She pointed to the enormous stuffed animal sitting in the back of the tent.

The kids took their places and each grabbed a handful of rings, ten to be exact. The woman counted down; “Three, two, one, go!”

Jaune held one of the rings firmly in his hand, aimed it at the bottle, and threw. It landed inches away from the target. He groaned, grabbing a new ring. That one landed. He threw again and again until he had no more rings left in his stack. Looking over, it seemed that the others had run out, too.

“Okay, let’s see who is going to the next round.” Said the lady. She took the rings off of the bottles and counted them. Saphron and Jaune had both scored five, Amber had three, and Pyrrha got six. Amber had been eliminated. She stood off to the side to cheer them on.

The three kids retrieved their rings and got ready for another round. The woman counted them down again, and the match started.

Jaune threw each ring slower this time, trying to be more careful with his aim. That round, Saphron was eliminated, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha for the final match. 

“You ready, kids? If you manage to get all ten rings, you win the big bunny.” 

Jaune squared his shoulders. He  _ was _ going to win that bunny. He looked over to see Pyrrha grinning at him competitively. Apparently, she had the same idea. 

“Three, two, one,  _ start _ !” The woman said.

Jaune threw his first ring. It landed. His second one landed as well. So did his third. Fourth. Fifth. He grinned, knowing he was going to win.

Sixth. Seventh. Eighth, and ninth. He released his tenth ring into the air, knowing he was  _ so  _ close―

It missed, falling hard onto the ground.

Jaune groaned while Pyrrha cheered.

“Congratulations, young lady.” The woman said, handing Pyrrha the giant stuffed animal. Her giggles were muffled behind the massive form of the bunny. It must’ve been just as tall as her, if not more!

The four left the Ring Toss game, laughing and congratulating one another.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the fanfic. It was a pretty short one, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. I had lots of fun writing this story, and I will definetly be posting more in the future!  
> Take care, everyone!

“I swear to you, I was  _ so _ close!” Jaune insisted. “It was the glare of the sun, that’s why my last ring didn’t land―”

“Okay, Jaune. But, you  _ still _ lost.” Amber said. Saphron and Pyrrha giggled, while Pyrrha attempted to hold on to the huge stuffy.

“I think I'm going to name him Pete,” Pyrrha decided.

“You mean, like the cereal?” Jaune asked. She nodded.

“What do you guys want to do next?” Saphron asked. Amber suggested bumper cars, and the rest of them agreed.

As they walked over, Pyrrha told them the story of how she once won the Pumpkin Pete’s sweater from the cereal box. The bunny was half blocking her view, so she didn’t see the tall boy in front of her right as she bumped into him. The bunny fell tumbling to the ground.

“Hey, kid. Watch it!” The boy yelled. He couldn’t have been much older than Saphron, but he easily towered over all of them.

“Sorry! I didn’t see you there!” Pyrrha said, scrambling to pick up her stuffed animal before it got dirty.

The boy’s scowl turned into a devilish grin as he spotted the giant bunny on the ground. He kicked it, covering it in the dirt as it tumbled further away from Pyrrha.

“Hey!” Jaune said, moving in front of the boy. “Why did you do that?”

The boy looked down at him. “Oh, look. Baby boy thinks he’s all big and strong.” He laughed, shoving Jaune out of the way and kicking the bunny again.

“Stop it!” Pyrrha yelled.

“Jeez, I was just messing around.  _ Someone _ has to teach you how to respect your elders.” He teased, about to kick the bunny for the third time, but Jaune lunged out at the last second, standing firmly between Pyrrha and the bully. 

“ _ Leave. Us. Alone. _ ” Jaune fumed.

“Whatever, you kids are no fun.” The bully finally walked away.

Jaune went to Pyrrha’s side. “Are you okay?”

He was surprised when instead of answering, Pyrrha pulled him into a hug. 

“Thank you,” She whispered. “You saved Pete.”

Jaune laughed. “No problem,”

All of a sudden, someone was calling Pyrrha’s name. “Pyrrha! It’s time to go!” 

Jaune turned around to see three curly-haired girls standing beside a darker-skinned man and a red-haired woman. “That’s my family,” Pyrrha said. “I have to go.”

Jaune nodded. “Okay,”

Pyrrha turned to his sisters. “It was nice meeting you all. I hope we see each other again.”

They all said their goodbyes, and then Pyrrha ran to her family. Beside her sisters with their brown curls, Pyrrha’s hair stood out like a flame in a dark room.

The three of them watched her go, until Amber pointed out they had to meet up for lunch soon. So they made their way back to their mother and sisters. As they ate, Saphron told everyone about how Jaune had won the match. They were all surprised, but happy for him, too. 

After lunch, their mother took them to watch one of the fights in Amity Arena. It was fun, seeing the students battle in a real arena, with real weapons. Jaune hoped that one day, he would be there, fighting alongside his team.

By the time they got home, everyone was so exhausted that they went to bed quickly after eating dinner. Jaune’s mother came into his room, just before he was about to fall asleep, to say goodnight. 

“You know, I saw how you stood up for that girl today,” She said.

Jaune shrugged. “It was nothing,”

“No, it was something. You were brave enough to face the bully and help someone in need. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom,”

She smiled. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah,” Jaune admitted.

She kissed his forehead. “I knew you would. Goodnight, Jaune.”

“Goodnight,” He replied. And then, just before she left; “Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“When I’m older, I want to be a Huntsman. Just like dad was.”

His mother smiled. “That’s a great dream, sweetie. Now get some sleep”

That was the last thing Jaune heard before he drifted into sleep, dreaming about fluffy bunnies, golden crowns, and hair as red as a burning fire.


End file.
